Reports that a new caravan is heading toward the United States is proof that President Donald Trump has been "right all along" about a crisis at the nation's border, and it's time for Democrats to stop ignoring the problem, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday.

"It's time for Democrats to work with us, to fix the problem. So far, Democrats have been unwilling to negotiate. This is a further example of why it is so important that they do."

However, Democratic lawmakers have been "willing to do nothing but obstruct," Sanders added, but that won't reopen the government.

"They claim to care about federal workers but they have been so busy hanging out on the beaches of Puerto Rico, and hitting Broadway shows, they don't have time to sit down with the president," Sanders said. "They were no-shows yesterday."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "keeps claiming" that the government must be reopened before Democrats can negotiate, Sanders added.

"He (Trump) asked her asked her point-blank, 'if I open the government, will you work with me and give me border security funding including the wall?' and she said no," Sanders said.

Several federal employees have been called back to work, as Trump is committed to being sure the government is still functioning, she added.

"Certainly we do not want the government to remain closed, which is why we asked Democrats to sit down help us solve the problem," said Sanders.

"We can't continue kicking this down the road. We can't continue to ignore it. We know there is a crisis at the border. American lives are at stake. The president wants to do what his constitutional duty is to protect those."